


Let Angus McDonald be a Child

by Idgahufflefuck



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Gen, angus is tired, basically what it says on the tin, but they totally do, let angus mcdonald be a child, maybe the next one will be, not a sickfic despite what the first chapter may hint at, the boys won't admit they want to help, why is this boy working on the moon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-25
Updated: 2017-07-12
Packaged: 2018-11-04 22:29:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11000334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Idgahufflefuck/pseuds/Idgahufflefuck
Summary: Angus McDonald is a very good boy and a very good detective but he is still a child. The boys take some time to remember this.





	1. Chapter 1

"Hey, is Ango okay?"

Taako blinked up (up, up) at Magnus. "I'm the wrong person to ask, my dude," he said and spun his nail file between his fingers for a moment. "... Why?"

Magnus flopped down on the couch, narrowly missing Taako's feet. "I dunno. Saw him in the mess this morning and he didn't look so hot. Thought maybe you'd know what was up since you've always got your heads together doing lessons and all."

Taako hummed noncommittally and flicked the file at him as though it were a wand capable of making this whole conversation disappear. "I'm his mentor, not his keeper. Not my problem. Now, if you find him using Knock to snoop around you can come talk to me. It's only a matter of time and I'll have to think up a proper reward. Now shoo."

\---

Angus McDonald was the world's greatest detective and proud of it. He had worked very hard, first to build his reputation as a detective, and then as one of the most reliable seekers on the moon. He'd taught himself to read by the age of three and by his tenth birthday he'd already helped the Neverwinter police solve three major cases. (Not that they knew this. He was only a little boy but he was smart enough to know that grown ups didn't like to ask for help. No, he'd simply nudged them in the right direction until they picked up on the obvious clues.)

Today, as usual, he was in the bureau library, dwarfed both by the armchair he was curled in and the large tome he was pouring through. He shifted uncomfortably and clamped his pen between his teeth freeing his hands to flex his wrist and rub his temples. He wished this headache would go away; he'd never had so many before he joined the bureau but he didn't want to go to medical yet. Chances were his glasses just needed adjusting and that could wait for his physical.

_Maybe I'll just take a break_ , he sighed and looked out the window. His favorite Caleb Cleveland book was in his bag and, sure, he'd missed lunch again but no one ever minded if he let himself into the kitchen for a quick cheese sandwich. He closed his eyes. What if they decided he's too young for the job after all? He was pretty certain he wouldn't be able to stand going from all of this back to being just some kid. No, he could at least finish this report before leaving for the afternoon.

But there was no denying it. Angus McDonald, world's greatest detective and youngest member of the bureau of balance, was very tired.

\---

Takko groaned and tossed his Fantasy Cosmo to the foot of his bed before swinging to his feet. Magnus' question had been festering in his mind all afternoon. Not that he was worried about the kid. No, if anything Taako was clearly concerned on his own behalf. He was volunteering his valuable time to train the boy after all, and at any less than his best how could An-- Agnes be a proper monument to his spectacular teaching? Worse, he could pass whatever nasty bug he'd picked up to Taako himself.

Before he could talk himself out of it Taako was pounding on Merle's door. "Hey old man! Put some pants on, I'm coming in."

In the end it took several jabs with the umbrastaff and a quick drench spell to wake Merle. Taako easily sidestepped the cup he threw and leaned against the door frame.

"Stop that. I need a favor and I'm willing to pay for it. One batch of those awful oatmeal cookies you're always after me to make."

That got Merle's attention, his eyebrows raising high enough they almost merged with his bushy mane of hair. "All right," he said, "I'm listening."

"Magnus' got it in his head something's wrong with Agnes. You're a cleric, do your job and check it out."

"Aw, fuck." Merle groaned and tapping his foot, thought it over for what Taako felt was an unnecessarily long time. "Fine but you've gotta make 'em oatmeal raisin."

"Gods, _why?_ "

"Oatmeal raisin or I tell the whole base you actually care about the kid."

_Ugh._


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus is the first of the boys to reach out to Angus. (And I don't know how sportsball works so catch it is!)

Taako folded himself cross-legged into the armchair across from the couch in the living room of the reclaimers’ suite. As he absently brushed the non-existent crumbs from his floral skirt and arranged it around his knees, a steaming platter of cookies zoomed through the air, stopping to hover over Merle's head. "All right. Spill."

"The kid's a nerd."

Magnus laughed and reached for a cookie. "Well, yeah, we knew that."

Taako scowled at both of them and sent the cookies flying further towards the ceiling. "I slaved over a hot oven all morning and that's all you've got for me?"

"Dunno what you expected, asking Merle for help."

The dwarf grumbled and tugged at a strand of his beard. "Look, the boy isn't sick. He's just a nerd. He spends all day holed up in the library with his nerd books instead of running around like a real kid. Now hand over the cookies."

\--

Magnus wandered down the hall towards the elevator, the sounds of the other boys’ shouting fading slowly behind him. At least he'd gotten out before they started throwing things. He could spend the morning on the quad or maybe see if Carey wanted to do a little sparring and by the time he got back things would have quieted down and, most likely, Taako and Merle would have forgotten and abandoned the cookies.

He'd never say it where he might overhear, but Magnus was relieved that Angus wasn't sick. Not that the picture Merle painted of a childhood spent shut up in dusty libraries seemed much better, but Merle was probably right, the kid was smart enough to know his own mind. And no way would the director let him work himself to collapse, right? Although she _had_ seemed distracted since they got back with the chalice, and didn't seem to have a problem keeping Magnus at his own training until it was all he could do to get his shoes off before collapsing into bed every night. As though his feet had a mind of their own he turned away from the chatter and company of the quad towards the library.

Sure enough he found Angus in the back corner of the library just where the librarian at the front desk, surprised by Magnus' unprecedented visit, had said he would be. He was curled in an oversized armchair surrounded by neatly organized stacks of books and notes, nose pressed close to an oversized map of the Felicity Wilds he was trying to wrangle into submission.

He jumped when Magnus cleared his throat before smiling up at him. "Hello sir! Are you looking for a book? Can I help you find it?"

"Woah, hey, slow down there. I'm not looking for a book. I, uh, don't read much. I was looking for you."

"Really?" the boy asked, quickly trying to fold the map. "Did something happen? Does the director want to see me? I didn't miss a magic lesson with Mr. Taako, did I?"

"No, no and no." Magnus shrugged. "I've got some free time, and you need some training if you're ever going to make it back in the field after that Rockport Limited mess."

"I'm not sure you remember who was making a mess, sir," Angus said, but he was already getting to his feet and scooping his notebooks into his bag. Suddenly tentative he looked down at his hands and shuffled his feet nervously. "Um... sir? What exactly do you mean by training?"

"Meet me outside the gym in twenty minutes and you'll find out. And lose the suit!"

\--

Ten minutes later Angus paced anxiously outside the gym, having quickly changed into an older pair of shorts and his bright green Camp Goodfriend t-shirt. He wondered what Magnus had in store for him, hoping it wouldn't have anything to do with the training robots or, worse, the ogres that were sometimes used to test new employees. He didn't think that Magnus would let him get hurt, but Angus had put his hand crossbow in his bag before he left just in case.

"You're late," Magnus came up behind him voice muffled by whatever snack he'd managed to beg off the cafeteria staff.

"How can I be late if you're just getting here, sir?"

Magnus laughed and grabbed his arm without replying, steering him into the gym. For all his nerves Angus couldn't help looking around curiously. This was one of the few corners of the moon base that he hadn't explored. The large circular room had a track around the edge and the center was cordoned off into four sections. Angus saw an unfamiliar regulator sparring with one of the training robots off to one side. In another area several people were lifting weights. As Magnus dragged him over to a rack of equipment resting against the side of a small set of bleachers, he noticed Carey perched on top of a small jungle gym structure while Killian huffed and laughed on the ground below her, shouting that leaving the sparring mats was cheating. Magnus poked through the rack critically before selecting a ball about the size of both Angus's fists put together and walking over to a clear space on the mats, gesturing for him to follow.

"Alright Ango, time for your first lesson," and, without warning, he tossed the ball at Angus. (Underhanded and exaggeratedly gentle, which Magnus seemed to feel was pretty generous). For such a good detective Angus was caught completely off guard and instinctively ducked instead of reaching out for the ball.

"Well you're going to have to do better than that," Magnus huffed, but his lips were twitching.

"Oh gee!" Angus chased after the ball, calling out hurried apologies out as he weaved between the other bureau members who'd taken the afternoon to train. By the time he jogged back with the ball he was huffing and gasping for breath. "Sorry sir! But you should -- warn a person first."

Magnus rolled his eyes., "Next thing we work on has gotta be your stamina, kiddo. Now throw it back."

It wasn't a strong throw and, if Magnus hadn't leapt to the left to catch it, it might have bounced on to smack Killian, but he could see Angus' eyes watching him intently now waiting for his next move. And over the next few passes the kid did improve. He only had to go scrambling after the ball twice and he proved that, with a good underhand lob, he could get the ball too Magnus every time, even as the big man began to back up. But the boy was still frowning, as though trying to puzzle something out.

".... Sir? Are we playing catch?"

"What? No!" Magnus scoffed, "I told you. This is a training exercise in dexterity and strength!"

Angus considered that for a minute, turning the ball over in his hands. Suddenly his whole demeanor brightened and he beamed across the gym as the tossed the ball back. "Horseshit, Mr. Magnus."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed chapter 2! Next chapter will probably feature Merle. 
> 
> As a side note I have a lot of thoughts/feelings about my dyslexic Magnus headcanon but unfortunately this fic is not the place for them. Sigh


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merle talks Angus into getting some fresh air and helps him make some friends his own age.

Okay, so the boy wasn't sick but, as a cleric, Merle didn't like the bags under his eyes or the slightly ashen tone to his dark skin. As a cleric. Not that he was worried about the boy more than in passing as a professional. He couldn't stand the kid, not his stubborn cheerfulness, not his annoying squeaky little voice and definitely not his know-it-all attitude. So why was he thinking about asking the detective to come with him to Neverwinter?

  
Merle did have to admit that it was harder to regret bringing the boy detective along when he saw Mavis and Mookie's faces light up at the prospect of having another playmate for the day. As he emptied the candies and small toys from his pockets into his son's waiting hands he sighed and shot another frown over his shoulder at Angus. "Sorry about the tag along, guys. The little sneak followed me from the mo-- um, from the base and by the time I noticed it was too late to stop him."

 

Angus blinked slowly at him. "But you asked--"

 

"Hey Mookie I bet Angus would love to play tag with you"

 

"Yeah!" The young dwarf dropped his new yo-yo to the ground and threw the bag of penny candy to his sister before launching himself at a very startled-looking Andgus. "I'm it!"

 

Angus yelped and took off across the park.

 

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Mavis asked, picking up the discarded yo-yo and brushing it off before tucking it into her bag for safekeeping. "He doesn't really look dressed for running around and Mookie tackles _hard_."

 

"Oh yeah." Merle threw an arm around her shoulders. "He needs the toughening up. And it gives me and you a chance to catch up."

 

\--

 

Fortunately for Angus, it only took Mookie about twenty minutes of racing around the park and the suggestion of throwing rocks into the pond for him to get bored of tag. The young detective rested his hands on his knees and wondered if maybe Magnus was right about needing to work on stamina. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking up he was surprised to see Mavis standing by him trying not to smile.

 

"Come help me set up the picnic, Merle can keep Mookie from falling in. My mom bought me that detective book you recommended before. It was really good and I thought maybe you could suggest a few more since Merle says you spend all your time in the library. I am sorry about him by the way."

 

Angus beamed at her as they stretched the picnic blanket between them. "I can write some down for you but I'd definitely start with the rest of the Caleb Cleveland series. They're the best. And," he hesitated, glancing over to make sure Merle was out of earshot, "I don't mind Mr. Merle too much. He talks like he doesn't care, so do a lot of my coworkers, but he did invite me along today."

 

She shrugged, uncertain, and handed him a parcel from the basket. "If you say so. Help me put these on the corners so the blanket doesn't fly away."

The two made quick work of setting up the food and stretched out on the blanket to talk books. Angus found out that Mavis was almost as avid reader as he was and they decided that they would have to stop in at the local book store before the day was over to trade favorites.

 

\--

 

After all the food was long gone and even Mookie had exhausted his supply of chatter and news about life back on the beach the four lay in the grass soaking up the sun.

 

"Merle?" Mavis asked sleepily. "Can you tell us about your adventures?"

 

"Pleeease?" Mookie perked up and rolled over, resting his chin on his father's stomach and flinging an arm over him.

 

Merle hummed quietly and Angus wondered what he would come up with that wouldn't just turn to static. He knew whatever he did probably wouldn't be a new story since he read the reclaimers' mission logs religiously but he was still curious. He held his breath as though moving would break the spell of the afternoon and Merle would suddenly tell him to get gone and leave him in peace with the two kids he actually cared about. He quickly tamped down that line of thought.  He had no right to be jealous of the little time these two got with their father and sorting out if that jealousy was over them simply having a father or Merle's kindness was a task for another day.

 

"Did I ever tell you kids about the time I singlehandedly killed a cockroach bigger than a horse?"

 

It was an effective opening, provoking a howl of laughter and a "Cool!" from Mookie while his sister made sounds of disgust and crinkled her nose in horror.

 

"What?" Angus asked, sitting up. He definitely didn't remember reading about that.

 

"You better believe it." Merle tweaked Mookie's nose and rolled his eyes over at Angus. "Lay your scrawny ass back down and listen. Dunno how you call yourself a detective if you haven't realized that we don't put half the shit we get up to in those reports. My heroics alone could fill a book, and I don't have time for that."

 

Later Angus was fairly certain that the heroics in the story had been wildly exaggerated, but that didn't seem to matter. He was tired, and maybe a little over-full but he couldn't remember the last time he'd had such a nice day. Talking with Mavis had been nice and even running around with Mookie wasn't so bad. But more than that he just felt blown away that Merle was willing to include him in this part of his life. (Even if the way he spoke to him was still, well, less than kind at times. But that was just Merle.) Closing his eyes he turned his face up to let the sun's rays wash over him and tried to commit every detail of the afternoon to memory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As predicted, this one was a little harder for me. Hope it turned out okay. And next up is Taako! (And depending on how that chapter ends up looking I might do a small epilogue.)
> 
> Thanks again to my sister for helping me edit this monstrosity that was half written on my phone. 
> 
> And I'm themackenziemachine on tumblr btw (Not a TAZ blog (or a particularly anything blog) but I'm always down for it if someone wants to say hi or scream with me about fandom.)
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angus isn't a good eater, he's picky and forgets all together in turns. Fortunately, Taako is very good with food. 
> 
> (In my mind Angus' parents bounced between incredibly strict, and a bit neglectful. (How else would we end up with a ten year old running around on his own solving crime?) That's very briefly hinted at here but I don't get into it at all really.)

"What," Taako leaned down and wrinkled his nose, "is that?"

Angus jumped and looked up from his book to find Taako peering at his plate in disdain. "Oh! Hello, sir! I was starting to think maybe you'd forgotten about magic day!"

"If only," the elf mumbled and rolled his eyes. "You didn't answer my question."

Angus blinked up at him. "It's just my lunch, sir."

"Okay, sure. But _what_ is it?"

"Oh." Angus shifted sheepishly in his seat. "It's a cheese sandwich. But I was all out of bread so I put it in a leftover roll from last night."

"You call that a meal? The cafeteria was serving some perfectly mediocre stew today. Why not have that?"

Angus sighed; this was clearly a conversation the boy detective had had before. "I was in the library during lunch. ... Anyway, I don't like stew. Can we please start magic day?"

Taako was ready to give in, it wasn't exactly news that the boy had terrible taste after all, but it was then Angus' stomach gave out a growl loud enough to be easily heard across the room. Taako could already tell he would regret this, but he couldn't just let the boy detective-- /his/ protege-- walk around with an empty stomach. He'd never say so out loud, but he saw himself in the kid. Self sufficient for such a pipsqueak (otherwise he never would have agreed to any of this) but someone had to take him under their wing or he'd get in more trouble than he'd already found. In the past weeks Taako had watched Angus go off with Merle and Magnus and come back starting to look more energetic-- to smile more. And he was surprised at how much it stung that they, not he, were the cause. But this? This was something he _could_ do.

"Nuh-uh, bubbeleh. Magic day is cancelled."

Angus' face fell and his whole body seemed to droop as he set down his wand. "Oh. Okay, sir. I guess I'll--"

"Today I'm teaching you how to cook."

Angus stared at him, mouth agape. "But I thought you didn't like to--," he started and then seemed to think better of it. "But the cafeteria isn't open. I don't think we're allowed..."

"Forget allowed, I'm _Taako_ , I can do what I want. Now hurry up."

\--

"All right." Taako spread his hands with a flourish. "Let's get cooking. First up mise en place. You're going to chop up the asparagus."

Angus dutifully clambered up onto the stool and pulled the cutting board towards himself. "I don't really like vegetables..."

"And maybe sometime I'll ask you what you like. But today we're putting asparagus on our pizza and that's that. Didn't your folks ever tell you you'll stunt your growth if you don't eat your greens?" Taako eyed Angus sidelong, trying to read his expression. Angus never said much about his home life before the bureau, but Taako recognized the young boy's fierce independence and the loneliness he thought he hid so well.

Angus was quiet for a minute as he arranged the asparagus into a meticulously even row. "They just said I should eat what was put in front of me and that's that. It's fun to pick my own food here."

Taako raised an eyebrow. "So now that you can eat whatever you want you pick bread and cheese?"

Blushing, Angus replied quietly, "I don't want to get in trouble not eating at mealtimes and a person gets busy and forgets sometimes, you know? Besides, I already know I like cheese sandwiches."

Taako winced-- this was beginning to hit a little too close to home-- and scooped the dough from the bowl, slamming it onto the counter with a little more force than was necessary. "You need some adventure in your life, peanut. Spice of life and all that shit."

"Yesterday I had spice cake for breakfast!"

Turning to see the defiantly proud look on Angus' face Taako felt the twitch of a smile at the boy's small act of rebellion. "A good start." He added flour to the counter before bopping him on the nose with a long finger. "But not exactly the foundations of a healthy diet." Eyeing the dough critically he added a dash of the no-sodium salt shaker-- just in case.

Angus swiped the back of his hand over his face, smudging the flour Taako had left over his cheek. "Cheese sandwiches have protein. But I'll try to do better, sir. ... What do we do next?"

Satisfied with the dough Taako used his foot to slide Angus' stool over to his own station. "Now it's time for you to get your hands dirty and knead while I grate a small mountain of cheese. If we get blood all over the kitchen letting you try they really _won't_ let us in here unsupervised anymore."

\--

Angus swung his feet gently and leaned forward to rest his elbows on the counter, mirroring his mentor in the stool next to him. He wished he could ask if they could use magic to cool the pizza, but he knew that would just freak Taako out. He took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of fresh baked bread and cheese; maybe later he could look up a cooling spell on his own time.

Looking down at himself Angus sighed. He'd washed the dough and flour off his hands and arms but his pants and shirt with still coated in the stuff and he'd somehow managed to drip red sauce on his nice white shirt. He hadn't seen Taako use any sort of prestidigitation on himself but when Angus glanced at him he couldn't see a single speck of mess on the neatly tied apron he'd stolen from the supply room. (Angus had decided quickly that his own borrowed apron wasn't worth tripping over while they worked and discarded it.) Taako had that look on his face that he got sometimes when no one, except of course Angus, was looking. Angus didn't know (and was too afraid to ask directly) what the look meant but he knew he'd work it out eventually. For today he just watched as Taako played with a strand of hair that had fallen from his sloppy bun and stared into space.

When enough time had passed that Angus' stomach began to rumble again Taako blinked and suddenly laughed. "Let's get some of that pizza into you before people start asking if there's a train coming through."

"It's ready?" Angus beamed, ignoring the goof.

"It's ready."

In no time at all Taako presented Angus with a slice of pizza and a tall glass of fantasy coke, starting in on his own food and pretending he wasn't watching for the boy's reaction. Angus wasn't fooled; he never was. He tentatively took a bite, testing for temperature and guarding his expression against the expected bitter taste of greens. It never came and before he knew it Angus was asking for a second slice.

"It's good, then?"

"It's _amazing_ , sir! Can we do more cooking days?"

Taako took a long sip of his drink, clearly considering. It was all Angus could do not to hold his breath.

"Well," Taako finally said, "I suppose if you don't fall behind with the magic lessons I _could_ use the practice cooking for an audience again. Fine. Cooking lessons it is. But you'll be on time, follow my rules-- _no_ magic in the kitchen-- and I'd better start seeing fruits and veggies on your plate."

Angus jumped out of his chair and impulsively threw his arms around his teacher. "Of course!"

After all, vegetables were a small price to pay for new lessons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, friends! Sorry about the incredibly long delay between chapters. Night shift has been wearing me down more than usual lately. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this one. Angus & Taako's relationship is very important to me and the image of them at the counter eating pizza like that was so vivid in my head I wanted to take the time to try to get it right. 
> 
> There probably will be an epilogue coming just to tie things up a bit. 
> 
> Also though-- Gosh. Wow wow wow. I super never thought this would get to, like, fifty kudos, let alone one hundred. So, again, thank you all so incredibly much for reading and leaving kudos and for all the lovely comments. I am flabbergasted and overwhelmed and love you all. 
> 
> You can come talk to me @ themackenziemachine on tumblr or @hufflefuckup on twitter any time.


	5. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angus has a surprise for the boys. Hope none of you are lactose intolerant because this is about to get pretty cheesy.

_Drinks. Utensils. A large sheet._

Angus carefully crossed each item off his list as he double checked their placement in the box on his desk. The reclaimers had agreed to meet him for a trip down to Neverwinter-- although he may have failed to mention that he had asked all three of them to go with him. They thought they had been subtle over the past weeks but it's not for nothing Angus was called the moon's greatest detective. He would have to have been blind not to see that, in their own way, the trio had been working to take care of him. What did come as a surprise was how much relief he felt. His headaches were gone, he was sleeping better, heck, he was even having an easier time concentrating on his work than he'd had since before his grandfather's illness and the events on the Rockport Lmtd. And he knew that there had to be something he could do to thank them.

_Napkins. A frisbee._

Magnus was the first he had asked and by far the easiest to convince. All it had taken was the mention of getting out to stretch their legs and he had started spouting off what days and times he had free in the reclaimer's busy training schedule. Angus suspected it had as much to do with the chance to visit some dogs in the park as with the chance for some quality time, but that was just an added bonus in his eyes.

_Carrot sticks. Fruit salad. Five sandwiches._

He recounted them carefully and checked the labels. Ham and cheese for Merle, a carefully constructed BLT for Taako, and three peanut butter and jelly-- two for Magnus, one for himself. As an afterthought he pulled out his pen and made another note on the last, double wrapped, package. 'Peanut butter. TAAKO DO NOT EAT!' He had discovered Taako's allergy, and his poor judgement concerning his own safety, in less than a week of cooking lessons. He wasn't going to risk disaster, not today.

_Thank you cards. Caleb Cleveland and the Port-side Poltergeist._

Angus hesitated before placing the book back in the box. He hoped Merle would take it and not just laugh in his face. He knew it wasn't the dwarf's kind of thing but if he could casually mention that it was the same book that Mavis had picked up last time they visited maybe Merle could be convinced. Even if he just stole it out of the box when no one was looking, Angus hoped that it would be something Merle could share with his daughter the next time he called her.

He smoothed the sheet over the top of the box and hoisted it up, arms just able to reach all the way around. If he was going to beat the reclaimers to the launch deck, and forestall their arguing when they found out this was a group outing, he would need to move fast.

\--

As soon as the elevators opened he could hear Taako, Merle and Magnus arguing over each other.

"-- don't know what he told you--"

"-- if you don't think I have _so_ many better things--"

"-- what I get for listening to the little shit--"

Angus sighed and squared his shoulders quickly running through the speech he'd prepared one more time before taking a deep breath and clearing his throat. Using thaumaturgy to make his voice boom out over the bickering he said, "Hello, sirs."

The reclaimers stopped what they were doing and turned to him simultaneously, momentarily stunned by the loud interruption. Before they could regain their composure Angus continued at full speed, although more quietly, not giving them a chance to get a word in edgewise. "I know you're all surprised to see each other here but I asked all three of you to come down with me because all three of you have been so good to me, and I know you won't admit it, and I know you don't get much time off but today I want to do something fun with all of you. We can still go get your chores done, and to the farmer's market and hang out in the park to watch dogs but I made us lunch so we're going to go down and get real fresh air and-- and we're going to enjoy it."

Catching his breath, Angus focused on shifting the picnic supplies into a more comfortable grip so he didn't have to meet the men's eyes. He only looked up when he heard a snort of laughter from Merle who, without a word, went ahead to get himself strapped in.

"Well," Taako said with a lazy flick of the umbrastaff, "Sounds like we don't have much of a choice." The box levetated out of Angus' grasp and floated into the cannonball after the wizard.

Magnus laughed and gave him a, slightly rough, noogie. "Tell me you at least packed your ball."

"Better. The frisbee." Angus ducked out from under his arm and grinned, gently pushing him towards the sphere, pausing only to accept Avi's offered high-five.

Buckling into his seat Angus allowed himself a small, satisfied smile. Things had seemed pretty dire lately, and, from the hints he'd ferreted out of the director, they were going to get worse before they got better. But in the past weeks Magnus had reminded him it was okay to take some time to play, Merle had shown him the importance of some time in the sun, and Taako taught him that taking care of yourself and treating yourself didn't have to be mutually exclusive. Angus meant to take it to heart. And today? Today was going to be a good day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it guys! I got a little sappy there at the end. ^^U Thank you so much for reading and for all the kudos and lovely comments. This chapter has minimal editing (I wanted to get it up before Griffin destroys all our hearts with tomorrow's episode.) so, as always, please let me know if you notice any glaring errors. 
> 
> I'm @hufflefuckup on twitter and themackenziemachine on tumblr. Come talk to me any time!

**Author's Note:**

> First multi-chapter fic woo!
> 
> Thanks to my baby sister for helping with edits after I made a mess typing this up on my phone
> 
> And thanks to all of you for reading!


End file.
